One of the common misconceptions about a mobile dog gym is that it is the same thing as a dog walking service. While there are parallels, the dog gym has the ability to accomplish much more and do it in a far safer environment. A dog walker simply arrives at your location and takes your dog for a walk for a certain amount of time. They will do this in weather that is conducive to being outside, which is actually a limited amount of time each year in Las Vegas. This is because once the ambient temperatures go over 77 degrees it is no longer completely safe to walk your dog outside. The air temperature combined with direct sunlight will heat up pavement and cement in those conditions to over 160 degrees, and unfortunately the skin on a dog’s paws begins to burn at 120 degrees. In addition, the dog’s internal organs are horizontally placed only a foot or so from that radiating surface, giving them little ability to cool themselves effectively. As a result, 10 times as many dogs die each year on walks than from being locked in hot cars, due to heat stroke. A dog walker should never be used if the air temperature outside is over 77 degrees and it is during the day between 8 AM and 8 PM.
A mobile dog gym like RUN DAWG uses non-motorized treadmills called slatmills to provide exercise for dogs. We put the slatmills in the back of a climate controlled van and travel to customer locations to exercise their dog. The dog is secured to the device using a harness for their safety (so they don’t fall off) and they walk or run forward because they are encouraged to do so by a coach who spends the entire session with them. The slatmill is essentially a conveyer belt, and because there is no motor it has resistance that the dog must compensate for in order to move it. The result is a weight-resistance workout that is more strenuous than a leisurely walk. The front of the slatmill is also elevated about 10 degrees in order to provide a workout that is like walking uphill in sand. The extra resistance equates to a 30 minute slatmill session to about an hour and a half walk on a flat surface outside. This provides far better cardiovascular development and muscle building than any walk.
Walking at your pace forces the dog to place almost all their weight on their front paws. This is because they naturally walk at a faster pace than a human, and when being held back they must compensate by balancing on their front paws. This is why dogs have so many rear-end issues, because their rear-ends atrophy from never being fully developed over time. A dog with muscular front legs and skinny back legs actually has far less power than a fully developed dog, but unfortunately the only way the back legs develop is through running, hiking, swimming or walking uphill. Our walks with our dogs are usually involving a flat, paved surface that provides none of this to the dog. As a matter of fact, walking a dog on flat, hard surfaces for extended periods of time or distances is actually very bad for their joints. Slatmill workouts provide all of the muscle development that walks do not.
If you are looking for a “Las Vegas dog walker” or “Las Vegas dog walking service” we suggest you look into the mobile dog gym concept in order to provide your dog with the more safe and balanced exercise they need. We operate all year long no matter how hot or cold it is outside, and we individually adapt each workout to your dog’s needs and goals. Are we a “dog walking service?” Sort of….we are that and a whole lot more. Simply put, we are a lot better than “taking your dog for a walk.”
